Coyote ugly

[Old Shooter]

I have a coyote problem at my farm. I've lost a few small animals and I know it's not fox. We have a coyote problem in my area - several others have lost goats.

What caliber do I need to do the job efectively? Seveal people seem to think the .17 will do the job, others have said a .22 mag. I think they are too light but is a 30-30 overkill (parden the pun)? What about a .223?

[Twycross]

Seveal people seem to think the .17 will do the job
Which .17? 17HMR or 17HM2 will not, at least not in an ethical manner. 17 Remington? Maybe.

I don't know about .22 Mag. I know people use them frequently, but I am not sure whether I would do so. .223 is fine.

But for coyotes, there is no such thing as overkill.

[bclark1]

.223 is what i'm going to use up at my parents' farm. they asked i not call them in when they're around, not sure why, so i'm waiting on the opportunity. i've heard 22LR is doable, i'd prefer a magnum round if i'm going with something that small, but you have a lot of leeway. i'd also like to try shooting some of the 55-grain 30-06 accelerators i've got at them too, but that's probably farther down the line, or for long shots i need a scope for.

[knightkrawler00]

30-30 will do just fine on a Coyote. I made a broadside chest shot on one that dropped like its legs were cut off. The bullet went straight through, 150gr. Core-Lock, and from the looks of the exit wound, did not expand.

I've used a lot of 50gr. VMAX in my .223 for Coyotes, and it works great also.

Don't forget about buckshot, if you can get in close enough. I dropped a couple the other night with 12 pellet S&B, both went down with one shot each.

I stay away from the rimfire rounds for Coyote, I don't have enough confidence in it to do the job, even with perfect shot placement. Most any centerfire round will do the job, if you do yours.

[Jseime]

id use any centerfire round on the market and maaaaaybe the .22mag.

the .17 and .22lr rimfires are IMHO too small or too weak for coyotes.

i loved the .243 for yotes. i hit one a 250 yards and flipped it right over with a 100 grain SP. the .243 will give you reach and power needed for coyotes.

[dale taylor]

I agree with 30-30. You want them to drop. I've seen them run a long way with 223 in chest. [email protected]

[22-rimfire]

For open country, I like the 243 suggestion the best. 223 would be fine! I think that an important question here is how close you think you are going to be shooting at them or how close the neighbor's houses are to your hunting location or property. Night hunting? Lots of close neighbors, I might consider the 22 magnum or a shotgun for close up and personal. Is this for sport or for pure extermination? Like everything else, I would use what I've got.

[Art Eatman]

The voice of experience sez that a .223 with a 52- or 55-grain bullet will definitely ruin a coyote at 100 yards. I wouldn't hesitate to take a chest shot out to 200...

A .243 is plumb ruinacious, out to around 250 or 300, using a bullet like the 85-grain Sierra HPBT. Inside 100, it's really gross.

:), Art

[Springer45]

7.62 x 39 is another candidate if you're not needing to reach out too far.

[Old Shooter]

how close the neighbor's houses are to your hunting location or property

I have 25 acres surrounded by other farms and a lake that borders the whole left side of my farm. Gun fire is not a problem since I practice a lot for IDPA matches and it's legal to shoot on my property. HOWEVER there is a development at the very back of my place. The last thing I need is to hit a coyote and have it run off and die in someone's backyard.

My shot should be well under 100 yards and I need to drop it in it's tracks. Also, the answer is "yes" - this if for extermination not sport.

[Art Eatman]

Any chest-cavity hit will not see a coyote go more than 20 to 50 feet, if he doesn't drop DRT.

Don't sweat the difference--if any--between extermination and sport. Nobody will ever kill the last coyote. Even a full-time highly-experienced professional trapper can only reduce the numbers--not zero out.

:), Art

[Capt. Charlie]

Nobody will ever kill the last coyote.
Probably not. Native Americans called them the "trickster" for a reason. They're smart, and they learn fast! Along with that, they can live on darned near anything. One thing that surprises me of late is their size. I remember seeing lots of them in AZ in the 70's, and they were small and scrawny. The ones I see today are huge! I also noticed that they seem to roam in bigger packs today. Anybody else notice this?

[bclark1]

4 of them took down a deer in broad daylight darn close to one of the neighbor's houses out in WI. definitely time to cull the pack. back near chicago i'm starting to see them around the suburbs more, too. i was in a gas station parking lot in the chicago burbs a solid 2-3 miles from the nearest forest preserve, which is across a major highway (I294) at that, and saw a decent sized coyote trot by. i did a double-take thinking it was a stray dog at first, but nope!

[kingudaroad]

The problem with the 30/30 is the effective range of about 100 yards.Those wily coyotes may not get that close.I'd think youd have better luck with a flatter shooting gun, .223,.243,.25.06. I think a .17 is a bit light.

[Hello123]

If your goal is elimination and not using the hide, use a flat shooting deer rifle if you have one.

[Johnny Guest]

I'd certainly go for a coyote up to about 150 yards with either one. The little .22H has a surprisingly mild report, compared to the bigger varmint rifles and any of the deer rifles. Neighbors who cheerfully accept pistol and shotgun noise sometimes become nervous when you start lighting off a .30'06 or the like. :p

Best,
Johnny

[JRLaws]

My shot should be well under 100 yards and I need to drop it in it's tracks. Also, the answer is "yes" - this if for extermination not sport.
That sounds like a solid case for the 30/30. The .223 would probably work well, but your 30/30 sounds ideal for these conditions. Throw some accelerators in it if you need to open up the range and you're good to go.

I think the rimfires "could" work, but why use one if "I need to drop it in it's tracks".


JRLaws

[44-40]

I would think if hit with anything if not killed he wouldn't come back.A few years ago we were loosing small animals,never saw what was doing it,we have a barnfull of leghold traps but didn't want to catch our animals.Called the county weed And pest,they loaned me a large live trap, had a neighbors dog the next morning, was repaid for the lost animals and the dog was put down.

[Wraith]

Be a man... use a shotgun. :D j/k

[MEDDAC19]

The 30-30 and the .223 will work, the 22 mag is a little light unless the yote is in close and you can be sure of a clean headshot. Capt Charlie you are right about the size. The coyotes here in PA and OH are slightly different from the ones you used to see out west. These eastern beasts have some wolf genes in them and have a Canadian lineage, which account for their larger size, also they cross with dogs and some offspring are huge. I have seen kills in northeast PA that weighed in at over 70 lbs. One of the reasons coyotes are so hard to eliminate is that they are so adaptable and will eat almost anything. Coyotes also have an ingenious survival adaptation. The more stress that a coyote population is under, whether that stress is human pursuit or lack of food and water, the larger the size of their litter. This seems to work very well for them. Most animals that are starving or under alot of stress will abort or have a smaller numbers of young. It is clear that this technique has worked very well, as coyotes have not been eliminated and are expanding their range.

[Capt. Charlie]

Was at the ranch late at night last week and heard a large pack very close. I didn't see 'em, but it sounded like somewhere between 15-20. Made me a little nervous until I looked around and the horses just plain ignored them. Still, my Walther made me feel a little better. That got me to wondering: Has anybody ever heard of coyote predation on a healthy, adult human? As they get bigger and bolder, I'm thinking it's only a matter of time :( .

[CarbineCaleb]

Capt: Not that I know of... I guess anything is possible though. My understanding is that their big cousins, grey wolves, which average 100lb, attack people much less frequently than bear, which is not real often.

[QuickTrig]

My Coyote gun would be a Yugo SKS. The 7.62x39 is pretty much ballistically identical to the 30-30, Plus 10 shots in semi-auto, you cant beat that. Saw a case of 900 rnd FMJ's at the shop in 7.62x39, for $119, Not bad.

[Johnny Guest]

I understand it is popular to state - - The 7.62x39 is pretty much ballistically identical to the 30-30 . . . Really, they are a bit farther apart than this indicates.
Remington factory figures show:
.30-30 - - - - 150 gr. RNSP -- MV: 2390 100 yd. vel: 1973 ME: 1902 100 yd. eng: 1296

7.62x39mm - 125 gr. PSP - - MV: 2365 100 yd. vel: 2062 ME: 1552 100 yd. eng: 1180

The .30-30's 25 grain heavier bullet, with the blunt round nose profile, starting at a similar velocity, not only has greater paper energy - - life experience demonstrates that it really does "hit harder."

One point I'll yield: Their trajectories up to about 150 yds is practically identical.
Compare for yourself at the Remington ammo site at:
http://www.remington.com/ammo/ballistics/ballistics.htm

It is easier to fit most any .30-30 with a good aperture sight than an SKS. The .30-30 has the advantage of being able to use 170 gr bullets, in case of need, as in very close range hunting, or if big hogs are the game.

Best,
Johnny

[JRLaws]

I also think it's interesting that the .357mag, from a lever action, is closer to the 7.62 x 39mm than the 30-30.

Buffalo Bore Ammo claims their 125gr. Gold Dot does 2298 fps from the Marlin 1894 w/ 18.5 inch barrel, within 67 fps of the Remington 7.62x39. :cool: The 180gr HCLFN does a claimed 1851 fps, putting it just under the 30-30 and way out past the SKS in my opinion. I don't know how the .357 holds up at distance but I'm very impressed with how the lil' fella does out of the muzzle.

I've owned an SKS before and thought it was a fine weapon. I think a lever .357 magnum would give it a run for its money and would probably group better on average.

Just wanted to throw that out there. I always hear the 30-30 and 7.62x39 being compared and think that the .357 needs to be in there as well.

JRLaws

[yorec]

But for coyotes, there is no such thing as overkill. Especially true if hide preservation is not important as I suspect it is not in this case.

What kind of ranges are you looking at and are the neighbor going to be down range where you've gotta worry about flying lead?

I'd think about a shotgun if you migh be getting shots in close - #4 buck shot will give you pretty good chances of hits out to twenty five yards or so and will pretty much guarantee destruction of that particular pest... But you're likely to not get that close with a wiley yodel dog unless you know he's gonna raid the hen house and you can watch from inside or a nearby shed - AND he's careless.

So I'd go with .223. Capable on coyotes at any range you can hit them in a vital oran at. Ballistic tips or hollow point bullets expand that capability. And on the plus side, it is also a lesser probability to cause problems downrange than other hi powered cartridges. It would be my choice.

[Jseime]

My shot should be well under 100 yards and I need to drop it in it's tracks.

the .30-30 with a light soft point will work perfectly for yotes inside 100

you should try a mouth call i love mine

[zeisloft]

If you shoot IDPA, I'd assume you reload, so heres my $0.02. I put myself through college hunting varmits and building cabinets (best 7 yrs ever). In that time I learned there is something magical about a .22 cal 50 gn ballistic tip bullet moving at 3,000 fps. They just stop where they stand. This recipe is generaly pushed through a 22-250 but 2500 fps with a 35 gn thin skined Hornet bullet does the same. I worked up this load by testing on 2 leter bottles full of water and they completely destroy them. The Hornets will not penetrate the back side. Try it.
~z

[claude783]

My youth was spent in Northern Minnesota...had a neighbor who purchased the then new 22 mag.

He was overheard saying one day "Yep, I've taken 48 deer with my first box of ammo".
To which someone asked "what happened to the first two rounds?"

His reply, "had to sight it in boys".

Up to a 100 yards, I would think the .22 mag would do its job. From a personal standpoint, I would lean towards a lever action in 357mag. Although the other calibers listed would work just fine!

[USP45usp]

How about an AR .223 with night scope :D.

If you lived near me, I'd have you covered with any and most of the mentioned rifles (I don't have a night scope yet, not that tactical but getting there :D ).

.223, 7.69, 30-30, 30-06, any of them should work. I wouldn't waste my time with any lower calibers.

I've never been yote hunting but from what I understand they will learn of your position if you keep it the same (and area) and you will have to de-human-scent yourself or stand upwind because they have a great sense of smell.

In NM they actually used cyinide(sp) darts and you would see "Danger, Cyinide in use" signs everywhere. You didn't go hiking in them woods that's for sure.

Wayne

[Capt. Charlie]

Back when I worked for the Natl. Park Service, the US Bureau of Land Management was notorious for their use of strychnine laced bait. The poison didn't discriminate, and it traveled through the food chain several times over. Whatever it killed was eaten by something that was eaten by something, and all died in the end. Fish & Game, along with us, raised hell when we found a Golden Eagle dead from what was later found to be strychnine poisoning. Didn't do any good then, but I don't know if they still use it today or not. Seems like 'yotes are hear to stay.

[PaleGreenHorse]

I use a .204 ruger, Most times it will drop them right there, but once in a while you'll get one that does the "chase my tail as I bite what hurts" dance, right before they fall over. Try calling them in with an adult male howl first, a young male howl second, a rabbit distress, then a pup distress. It mimicks 2 coyotes fighting over a rabbit, and boy do they come in quick when they hear that party going on. :D

[Green]

alright yeah kinda old thread :rolleyes: but Im new to hunting yotes (or any hunting for that matter :) ) and also have a farm problem. Im basically used to target. Im wondering if a .270 would be "overkill". Ill be shooting at about 200-300 yards.... Dont really want to make a mess :barf: lol... Any sugestions would be nice. Thanks

[Art Eatman]

Green, I wouldn't worry about the mess. Your .270 will do just fine. Buzzards don't care if it's a mess or not...

:), Art

[zeisloft]

Green, glad you pulled this one back to the top. One of my favorite subjects. I'd say the 270 will do the job just fine, 300yds is a good challenge everytime, but you can call em in alot closer. Ive called coyotes into pistol range a number of times. If you reload, pack a light bullet (thin skinned hp or ballistic tip) maving fast. Where are you located?
~z

[Green]

im in rural wisconsin. Somethins been gettin our chickens and I think its the yotes. My dad has a nice collection but im 16 now so its time to get my own and Ive been looking at one but it only comes in .270 & 30-06. Just a cheapy- mossberg if youve heard of it but Ive been searching and nothing bad so far + Ill have some money for a lens... And oh yeah the red tail ive got out here would like th mess but my 7 y/o sis wouldnt :)

[Rangefinder]

Green--Unless you plan to use the rifle on big game also (by that I mean something larger than your average deer), I'd say go with something in the neighborhood of a .243. It's damn fast, very flat, and if you use something like a 55 gr. Nosler Ballistic tip, no coyote within 300 yds has a snowball's chance. And if you do use it for deer, the step-up to a heavier load is readily available. Plus, it's one of those rifles that you can go target shooting with, spend all day, and still say "I shoulda brought more ammo".

[zeisloft]

Ditto, 243 but I'm a big fan of the 22-250 for all the same reasons. Plus if you dont reload, you can get a "varmit box" of 50 rounds of high velocity 22-250 for just a bit more $ than a box of 20 243.
~z

[Rangefinder]

Good call on the 22-250 as well. It's one of the best varment/small-medium game rifle out there. I'd say flip a coin--heads; .243 and tails; 22-250. Either way, you just can't go wrong.

[kirbymagnum]

The 17 hmr will kill it with eas if you have a well placed shot same thing goes with a 22 magnum. If you are going to shoot it anywear just to kill it (body shots) the 222 will do the job just fine here are some guns i would use if i would make a body shot .222 .223 22-50.243 or if you want to blow them up take it up with a 30 06

[Sum1_Special]

hmm... What do I think would be the best caliber for the job?...

The biggest gun you got, Plain and simple. Don't worry about using small calibers or rimfires for coyote, if you have a 30-30 use it! Overkill does not exist for an animal you dont intend to eat or skin, so don't be afraid to blow them to pieces. If it were me, I would use my 30-06 or Mosin Nagant loaded with 200 grain softpoints.

It would be better you use a cannon and annoy the hell out of your neighbors than use a 22lr and watch as the animal runs away after being hit.

[xXStarScreamXx]

.308 hollows them out pretty well with a ballistic tip or triple shock. The one from the triple shock looked like something big had bitten it's side off.

[lil_bro]

http://www.varmintal.com/ahunt.htmThis is a good site for coyote hunting you might want to check it out and it has coyote attack storys.

I would say for shots less than 100yds use a 30/30 any thing pass that I would use a .223 or a .243 if I was going to buy a gun for coyote only I would get a .243 it will work out to several hundred yards or you could just use a your deer rifle if you don't want to buy a gun just for coyote.

[Dwight55]

Old Shooter, . . . my uncle in Kentucky had your problem years ago, but not coyotes, . . . dogs: feral, nasty, ugly critters that killed his stock and his chickens.

He had a 30-30, an 8mm and a 7mm and a bunch of others. But finally, he found the one that did the trick best: 10 ga single shot shotgun. I bought him the 00 buck shells for it and he did a great job. He took em down out to 100 yards with that cannon, . . . and more than once, . . . got two with the same shell.

I have no idea of the holdover he would use at that distance, . . . but it was effective. He'd just laugh and say he used some Kentucky windage on em.

He got to where the 10 ga got to be too much for him with the recoil and all, and he dropped down to a 12 ga but stayed with the 00 buck. I'm not certain, but I wouldn't doubt that feral dogs still stay off his farm and he's been dead for several years:D

May God bless,
Dwight

[Trip20]

A friend of mine has been usin' the 22-250 for the 'yotes out here in Wisconsin, on his own land. Longest shot he has to take is about 250yds unless he goes to the hill behind his house - then its a tad bit longer. Works great at all ranges according to my buddy.

[FrontSight]

This is pretty cruel, but I heard it's effective. Someone told me a great way to decrease coyote numbers is to bait them with a piece of meat on a fishing hook chained to a tree (using aircraft cable). I can't imagine ever doing that myself, and could see it being highly frowned upon by the dept of conservation & other police agencies and could probably land you in trouble BIG time, the kind that involves handcuffs and iron bars and legal bills and a record, but hey, just spreading the knowledge...

[Trip20]

Thanks for sharing, but that's the kind of knowledge that can go with out spreading.

[FrontSight]

But that's the beauty of this country - the knowledge should not be stifled, but the action should be discouraged. To keep the knowledge is to censor

[Trip20]

:rolleyes:

k.

[exoduster16]

All have at this point in time is a rifle chambered in 7mm Rem Mag. We have a coyote problem where I'm from....just wondering would this be overkill?

[Twycross]

But for coyotes, there is no such thing as overkill. - Myself
Especially true if hide preservation is not important as I suspect it is not in this case. - yorec
Overkill does not exist for an animal you dont intend to eat or skin, so don't be afraid to blow them to pieces. - Sum1_Special

[Larry Ashcraft]

I use a 25-06 with 100 gr Ballistic Tips at 3300 fps. I shot one at an honest 500 yards and he didn't move another inch. Of course, there wasn't much left of the hide either.

I've got a newly built .270 Ackley Improved that I would really like to try out next.:eek:

For shots under 200 yards, though, my Mini-14 dispatches them quite nicely.

[shureshot0471]

if you want to get really nasty go wit the .243 with a 55 grn winchester silver ballistic tip shot coytoes every week wit this one and it gets down right nasty but the .17 hmr witt also do the trick

[ethernectar]

Not sure that I trust a rimfire to do the job. It's be better to be sure, and hit with something with a little more energy.

Like someone said above, the buzzards won't care if its a mess.

m

[20cows]

Has anybody ever heard of coyote predation on a healthy, adult human?
Nope, and I've lived around 'em all my life. A rabies crazed skunk is a lot more dangerous to people, but rabies crazed skunks don't tend to eat sheep.:D

[jaymag]

The 17 is a sreamer.But there're cheaper guns out there.Any rifle that gets out there.22LR will kill it in time.If you want it to at least drop for ya, .17,222,223,or anything bigger,Go git'em.I have dropped one with a 12ga. 1 once rifled slug.